A reproduction system converts images on original documents into images on a printed copy. Reproduction systems may include display systems such as CRT displays, and printing systems such as lithographic, xerographic, ionographic, electronic reprographic, ink jet, thermal transfer and impact printing systems. They may use such marking materials as inks, toners, marking films and the like. Reproduction systems are capable of a broad range of functions, depending on the complexity of the machine performing the functions, and on the amount of information they are capable of storing and processing.
An electronic reprographic printing system is a system wherein an image on an original document is scanned and transformed into electronic image signals within the system's memory. Those signals are thereafter processed and the image is reproduced by display and/or printing on a substrate such as paper, transparency film, or the like. This system differs significantly from a conventional xerographic system which produces an image by a light coupling process. An electronic reprographic system is capable of performing a multiplicity of functions related to the images processed within the system.
For example, in electronic reprographic printing systems, a document or series of documents comprising at least one print job is successively scanned. Upon scanning of the documents, image signals are obtained and electronically stored. Once a document is scanned, it can be printed any number of times or processed in any number of ways (e.g., words deleted or added, image magnified or reduced, filtered, screened, cropped, etc.). If a plurality of documents makes up a job which is scanned, the processing or manipulation of the scanned documents can include deletion of one or more documents, reordering of the documents, or addition of a previously or subsequently scanned document or documents. The signals are then read out successively and transferred to a printer or display device for formation of images comprising some or all of the information on the original image as well as any other information added during the image processing stage. The printing or processing can be relatively synchronous with scanning, or asynchronous after scanning. The system can accumulate a number of scanned jobs in the system memory for subsequent processing or printing. The order of the jobs to be printed may be different from the order in which the jobs are scanned depending on the priority of the jobs and the desires of the operator for increasing productivity or through-put and decreasing printer or scanner down-time.
In addition to the image information which is entered into the system, other information needed to produce the final product may also be entered into the system by an operator. This information may relate to such factors as size of document, type of font, size of font, etc.
In a printing system such as an electronic reprographic system, several devices usually make up the total system, with separate devices or components providing the functions of scanning, processing, printing, and finishing (e.g., stapling, binding, etc.). The system includes a controller which provides for the overall monitoring and integrating of the performance of the aforementioned functions.
In an electronic reprographic system, the materials employed to "fix" the images being manipulated and processed in the system are substantially the same as those used in other copying or printing systems, and include the color marking materials, generally toners or ink-jet inks. As used herein, the term "color" includes black and other colors, except where otherwise clear from the context.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,308 to Schumann et al. describes electronic image recording in multiple colors using a photographic recording material comprising at least one layer of photo-sensitive silver halide and a compound capable of luminescence. The recording material is image-wise exposed and developed to produce a latent luminescence image. The image information contained in the latent luminescence image is scanned photoselectively by a luminescence spectroscopic process and is recorded electronically in the form of monochromatic luminescence signals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,327 to Bird et al. discloses motion picture film having digitally coded sound tracks which are colorless and transparent, and which fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet light. The sound track image is partially coded in the visible film image area using an electrostatic imaging system to imprint a fluorescent toner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,510 to Russell discloses a method of producing color-accented reproductions of original documents, wherein originals are highlighted by a reader and the highlighted originals are serially passed during a copy run over an image scanner that is sensitive to the highlighted portions. The locations of the high-lighted portions for each original are detected and stored in a bit map. Such highlighting of an original may also be used to indicate areas to be selectively screened, filled within a screen tint, areas to be deleted or areas to be repositioned.
None of the aforementioned patents provide for incorporation of a taggant within the original marking material used to create an image on a document.